Oxycodone withdrawl/taper assistance

[Whoiusedtobe]

Hello,

I'm brand new here, although I have been reading bluelight forever. 31 female. Approx 130 lbs (gained weight on the meds) Chose the username WhoIUsedToBe for a very good reason. I'd love to get back to be being that person. I won't bore you all so basically, I'm desperate to get off of my medication.

( if you want to skip directly to my questions scroll to the bottom . Sorry)

Long story short...

I got in 2 car accidents within2 years. Broke my Tib and fib (leg) and now have a metal rod. Also fractured my t2 & t3. Was on an extremely high dose of all kinds of opiates for years & built an extremely high tolerance. Fast forward to real time. I told my doc I can't go on like this as my quality of life is just..gone. He has been tapering me but it's taking too long. He gave me a month off work and it's almost up. Need to Stop! I'm so depressed and so tempted. Especially once the severe RLS hits and im just a baby when it comes to pain. However, I have managed to get myself down to about 30mg oxycodone a day from like say around 200mg oxycodone a day (I know, horrible) it's hard with unlimited access. My doc has been great with helping me. Don't know what I'm going to do for my legit pain but I just don't care... I just want to feel again.

Overall my question is ... will my w/d be as bad if I were to jump off of like 15mg daily say if I start 15mg a day for like 4 days? I have clonidine, klonopin, and some other stuff. My cravings get the best of me most days. I was so close to being done about a week ago but I went backwards. Does anyone have a legit SHORT taper plan that's works and perhaps like something that's helps with cravings. Any vitamins etc? Sorry this was soooooo long, I'm just so lost and so scared. Anyone who can help, I'm begging you. Also, any questions for me, I'd be happy to answer. Thank you!

Hope this made sense.... if there are private messages you can contact there as well.. I just don't know how to work this yet.

 

[HeadHigh]

Okay, the best taper plans are slow, but a fast taper plan can be done but you will need much more will power and motivation to stick to it because the withdrawal effects will be greater with a fast taper. The klonopin and clonidine will come in handy, but youre going to want to drop 5mg every 2 days. If you can drop 5mg every two days, start OCCASIONALLY masking the WD symptoms with the klonopin but try to use it as sparingly as possible cause you dont want to trade one addiction for another. Also, if you would like, you could try picking up kratom and using that. Its very helpful with opiate withdrawals, but it is addictive itself, so be careful with it. Many people find kratom easier to get off of though, so you may want to weigh the risks with that one if you so choose to do it.

Dont worry too much about the withdrawals. You have done some amazing work getting all the way down to 30mg a day. Congratulations are in order, because thats very tough, but it shows that you obviously have it in you to get this monkey off your back. So keep pushing on, and try getting someone else to hold you accountable for your intake of meds. You may also want to trry making a schedule that you strictly stick to throughout this process.

 

[T. Calderone]

How much time do you have before you have to go back to work? I would try getting down to 10 mg a day and jump off. You have some good meds- use the clonidine roughly every 6 hours as needed. Take the benzo at night only when you have to sleep. Gabapentin is very helpful. Maybe you could ask your doctor for some. For your pain, can you use nsaids like motrin or ibuprofen? A multivitamin would suffice maybe a magnesium supplement, take with a meal and drink plenty of fluids. Good for you in making this decision! We do have a Sober Living section if you want to check it out. Let us know how you're doing.

 

[Whoiusedtobe]

T.cal - sorry, I don't know how to work this quite yet as far as replies. I appreciate your help as well. I've been trying ibuprofen as well. Doesn't take the edge off as well either. My date to go back to work is Monday but I'm hoping my doc will give me a bit more time as my employer said I have 11 weeks if needed. I'm also worried about going back to work as I feel it may be a bit of a trigger. I'll definitely check out the sober living section. I just want to be there already. Cravings are tough. The part is as though as three physical. I'll talk to my doc about the gaba. I'm looking for some type of vitamin that may assist with the RLS and the cravings.

 

[Whoiusedtobe]

I'm messing my replies up left and right ? thanks so much for your reply. One reason I joined is because I do not have much support besides my doc. I mentioned somewhere in my reply that I lowered my dose from 200 to 30mg in 2 weeks with skipping days and was at 15 MG for a bit but it was unbearable. I appreciate the recognition and it feels great to be encouraged.. I'm just really ready to be done Hense the quick taper idea. Will 10mg be easy to jump from. Will I have minimal discomfort. Also mention I have Kratos but it doesn't work very well for me. Although while in agony I did try it. Just made me throw up. I'd rather not get into something else. Just want to be me again if yah know what I mean. I must say all of this is scary but I'm done letting in run my life

 

[Whoiusedtobe]

Hopefully you can both read both replies since apparently I'm having issues replying lol. If I can get to 5mg I will do that. I'm just trying to go quickly just in case I cannot get off work any longer. Wish me luck, prayers, positive vibes please for my apps Monday. Anyone have any ideas about work and triggers? Thanks again to you both ?

 

[Whoiusedtobe]

Ahhhh one more thing. Once I was at 15 skipping days. I'd take the 15 at night to aid with sleep and a break. Days got to just body aches & SWEATING LIKE CRAZY! Was I near the end?

 

[cduggles]

Hi Whoiusedtobe,

My perspective is a little different because I jumped off at 80mg oxy per day last year in November with no relapses. I was also taking it for health reasons for several years.

The most important thing I can say about triggers and cravings is that you really have to want to quit. That goal has to override everything. Don't keep any oxycodone available for "later" or, as an alternative, give it to someone who literally will not give it to you unless you have a visible, very serious painful injury. If you have any other possible sources of oxycodone, delete/erase them or if it's family or something, tell them that you are quitting and ask them to fully support your decision.

The other thing that helped me a lot was exercise. It took a lot of willpower to drag myself to do it, but it was worth it.

Just so you are aware, if you start taking oxycodone again, you will rapidly go right back to the dosage you were at previously and each subsequent withdrawal will be more intense. You aren't going to take "just a little". Therefore, you should fully commit yourself mentally to not taking oxycodone again when you decide to go through withdrawal.

I used the following meds (prescription needed unless noted):
1. Gabapentin: this was essential for me. It got rid of most of my withdrawal symptoms.
2. Clonidine: mostly to sleep, a couple of times when my heart rate/blood pressure shot up.
3. Clonazepam and Xanax: I was taking them already as prescribed. I didn't use more.
4. Dicyclomine: for stomach pain - I have a sensitive stomach. Most people don't use this medication for opiate withdrawal.

Other meds I had on hand or that many people find useful:
5. Ondansetron: great for nausea.
6. Loperamide: Over the counter anti-diarrheal. If you have work or other activities where you aren't near a guaranteed free bathroom, this is effective for diarrhea. (I took 4mg once and it was effective.)
Note: It's also a synthetic opiate and some people take higher doses to combat withdrawal symptoms. I didn't try this out.
Very safe at recommended dosages but very high doses taken for recreational purposes are dangerous and have caused fatalities.
7. Baclofen: A muscle relaxer. This type is usually not the first choice, so your doctor will probably recommend a different one like cyclobenzaprine (common brand name is Flexeril).

Other recommendations:
1. Buy the expensive soft quilted toilet paper. Don't skimp on this.
2. Ensure/Boost drinks: It's not likely you will have a strong appetite. You will get vitamins and calories from the drinks.
3. Water
4. A drink with electrolytes like Gatorade or Pedialyte (I can't stand Gatorade so I skipped this but it's a great idea.)
5. I just took a regular multivitamin.

Depending on where you live and your personal preference, use of cannabis to help appetite, etc. Edibles are recommended by several people on BL.

Don't expect to sleep a lot. People usually catch a bit here and there usually with a benzodiazepine like clonazepam or for protracted insomnia, a prescription medication like one called quetiapine (common brand name is Seroquel) can be prescribed.

My only other recommendation is that you don't overuse the "comfort" medications and become addicted to one or more of them. Use only the dosage you need to be comfortable, not high (you know the difference). Many of these medications have awful withdrawals that are generally worse than opiates. As you will see repeatedly, don't trade one addiction for another.

You might want to check out the forum called The Dark Side. I received a lot of support in this forum and that one.

Best of luck!
CD

 

[Whoiusedtobe]

Thank you for taking the time to write this, CD. I really appreciate it. I've found exercise or at least attempting to move really helps as well. I don't have much time but thank you again. I will take all of this into consideration ?